Oregon 2008 Pinot noir – Longplay Lia’s Vineyard Pinot noir

Todd Hansen’s Longplay Winery was singled out in the annual Oregon issue of Wine Spectator as a “New Name to Know”. Not that unusual, except Todd is only on his second vintage. It usually takes longer to come to the attention of Harvey Steiman.

Todd is passionate about his vineyard, doing almost all the work himself, and it shows in his wine. He describes his work:

“Almost every day in the vineyard is a great day. The rhythm and pace of the growing season are what keep the job interesting.”

Longplay’s vineyard site is nothing to complain about either. A few years ago, Rex Hill sold off part of the very fine Jacob-Hart Vineyard to Todd. Renamed Lia’s Vineyard, he makes two Pinot noirs – both from his own grapes. He focuses on the vineyard, leaving the winemaking to Aron Hess, formerly of Rex Hill and now the winemaker at 12th and Maple, a custom crush facility in Dundee.

Talking with Todd, he strikes me as one savvy dude. In his former life, he was an international trade negotiator for the U.S. in Brussels. The guy is smart as a whip and as enthusiastic about winegrowing as Marcus is about the Packers. He’s one of those people you meet and just say -”this is going to be good.”

The name “Longplay” refers to the idea of “analog wine in a digital world” as his label (featuring a long play record) proclaims.

“Supple, generous and distinctive for its red cherry, raspberry and white pepper aromas and flavors that swirl together easily as they push through the long, vivid finish. Drink now through 2020. 287 cases made.” – HS

The ripe fruit gives a hint of bramble and blackberry in addition to our site’s signature bright pie cherry flavors. Despite the deep color, the wine is quite delicate. We love the long, fine finish.

Our 2008 Lia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir exhibits unmistakable pinot noir characteristics combined with an exuberant edginess that we really appreciate. This bottling highlights fruit from our 115 clone which, despite the late start to the growing season, achieved optimal ripeness in the 2008 vintage. This was partly due to extremely low cropping and partly due to a series of unusually warm and sunny days in October.

The wine reminds of us our favorite jazz: An upbeat tempo, textured high notes, and a rich depth that brings a smile to our face. – the winery